Travel Clinic at Hamad Medical Corporation’s Communicable Diseases Center (CDC) has expanded its services to meet the increasing demand, said a senior official.
Since its opening in 2017, over 4,366 travellers have sought services at the clinic while the number of travellers seeking services has increased in 2021 by 25% compared to 2020.
The clinic is now open twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays and will expand further soon to meet the increase in demand, Medical Director of the CDC, Dr. Muna Al Maslamani told The Peninsula.
According to her, three types of individuals seek services at the Travel Clinic.
“The main category is travellers who require proper travel risk assessment, counseling and administration of proper vaccinations and prophylactic medications as required according to their travel destinations and activity and those are 85 % from our customers,” said Dr. Al Maslamani.
“Others are sick returning travellers, who came back from their travel sick and require specialised care and counseling with proper diagnosis and treatment and those around 3% are from our customers,” she said, adding that returning travellers are present with febrile illness due to different causes like malaria, typhoid, dengue, chikungunya and some with skin rash and parasitic infections and tickborne disease.
Also some who seek vaccination are not travellers such as Qatar Airways staff, students, workers and public and they are about 12% of those who seek services at the Travel Clinic.
According to Dr. Al Maslamani, since its opening, several campaigns by the Travel Clinic have resulted in increasing numbers of travellers seeking appointments and it has lead to more demand for services. Currently, the clinic provides two types of vaccines — travel related and adult immunization vaccine schedule.
Senior Consultant of Infectious Diseases and Travel Medicine, Dr. Mohamed Khattab said that any traveller who needs a vaccination should take it 4-6 week before travel. He also said that there is no risk of receiving multiple vaccines at the same time, side effects usually limited to pain at the site of the injection and possible fever in some patients.
Since the summer holiday season is approaching, Dr. Khattab, in an advice to travellers, said: “When we travel, we have to choose the destination with least risk. Also make sure that you have received appropriate consultation in travel clinic or from primary physician addressing the risk associated with this travel and make sure that it is updated as per national vaccination program and got the travel vaccines in combinations with prophylactic medications like malaria prophylaxis if required.”
He also advised them to have a travel insurance, take proper preventive measures like food and water, safety measures and mosquito bite avoidance measures and consult at the Travel Clinic if experience any illnesses.
